Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries: Issues and Solutions

Citation

Lindsay, M. (2009), "Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries: Issues and Solutions", Library Review, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 70-71. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530910928951

The authors have collected papers from librarians describing electronic access and utilization of books and journals, collection development, remote access, statistics, the semantic web and publisher liability. The libraries represented include: medical, academic and hospital services. The worldwide access to library services is seen in the discussion about large American libraries, a “branch” in Qatar as well as Caribbean and Latin American libraries. One author demonstrates a willingness to explain obstacles and solutions which could help other libraries in developing e‐journal management systems in universities with eight campus sites and 35,900 students and 2,000 academic staff as in the University of South Carolina.

The process of creating an on‐line catalogue is clearly explained by a hospital librarian. The necessity of selecting software, creating an infrastructure, collection and converting a card catalogue into electronic records, learning MARC tags were all clearly explained. The new e‐catalogue was imaginatively promoted by both PowerPoint presentations and clever use of graphic design. The aim is for the OPAC to become a “one‐stop source” for e‐book and e‐journals.

The Big Deal is an aggregation of journals that publishers sell as a unit with one price. Libraries license electronic access to all of a publisher's journals at a cost based on their current payments plus an addition fee. Price increases are capped for a number of years. The Big Deal is commended for encouraging library users’ quick acceptance of electronic content. But, these packages have often been a source of frustration to libraries, forcing them to pay for titles they may not want, even though they do offer users access to a wide range of titles for one inclusive fee. Moving the Big Deals to a consortium allowed one library to get more for its money. Together, libraries and publishers have worked out new pricing models that provide broader access to users, a step in the continuing evolution of scholarly publishing and user demands.

Another very topical subject which is carefully addressed in this text is open‐access publishing which existed before the emergence of electronic journals (in the 1980s). This is a method of distributing findings promptly and widely, and partly in response to high journal prices. The author defines open access generally, referring to “resources that are openly available to users with no requirements for authentication or payment”.

Open‐access publishers may be supported by academic or research institutions, scholarly societies or commercial interests, or they may charge author fees. Several open‐access publishers charge author fees and also offer memberships to academic institutions, whereby, author fees for researchers at the member institution are eliminated or reduced. It appears that some authors do not trust the peer‐review process for freely available journalists as rigorous as that for established journals. Open‐access titles, with a few exceptions have not yet built their reputations. It is not known how or whether further developments in open‐access publishing will affect journal subscription prices.

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC‐Q) was established when Cornell University located in New York, signed an agreement with the Qatar foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to bring a branch of its medical school to Qatar, which is located in the Middle East region. Successful provision of seamless access to electronic resources depends a great deal on the capability of the network. Despite the stated benefit, the geographic divide creates challenges. One downside of relying on shared access is the lack of local control. The major benefit of extending resource access to the WCMC‐Q branch is that cost sharing resulted in a significant increase in purchasing power for both libraries.

The issue of assessing on‐line use with statistics is thoroughly addressed. A study of interlibrary loan statistics from various countries indicated that document delivery demand is reducing as electronic journal availability is increasing. It was found that identifying ways of accurately counting online usage can be extremely complex. There is no clear best practice for determining one use of a resource. Each source counts in a different way. As the trend continues toward a more robust electronic collection, there is a definite need to develop better methods of tracking use in order to make informed collection development decisions.

This collection of short and well‐referenced papers provides a practical text, particularly useful for librarians new to the profession with the advantages of learning about others’ experiences. This is invaluable text for all medical, hospital and academic librarians.